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Bird-cherry cake
Cheremukhovyi tort (Черёмуховый торт): Siberian cake of ground bird-cherry flour with sour-cream frosting
RussianBird-cherry trees grow wild along every river in Siberia, and in the Altai, Tomsk and Krasnoyarsk regions their small black fruit is dried and ground, stones and all, into a dark, almondy flour. Steamed in boiling milk and mixed into a sponge, it gives a moist, purple-brown cake that tastes of marzipan and chocolate, layered with thick sweetened sour cream for name days and family teas. The flour is sold in Russian shops and online. The common mistake is adding the flour dry, which leaves the cake gritty. Chef's tip: soak the bird-cherry flour in hot milk for at least three hours, or overnight, so it softens and releases its flavour.
- Total time
- 240 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
For the sponge
- 5 ½ oz ground bird-cherry flour
- 1 cup milkboiling
- 3 eggs
- 5 ½ oz sugar
- 3 ½ oz plain flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
For the frosting
- 3 ½ oz icing sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Pour 1 cup milk over 5 ½ oz ground bird-cherry flour, stir, cover and leave for at least 3 hours or overnight until thick and dark.
180 minStep 3: Fold in the soaked bird-cherry, then 3 ½ oz plain flour and 1 ½ tsp baking powder.
3 minStep 4: Bake for 35–40 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. Cool completely and slice into two layers.
40 minStep 5: Whisk 1 ⅛ lb thick sour cream (20–30% fat) with 3 ½ oz icing sugar and 1 tsp vanilla extract until slightly thickened. Spread between the layers and over the top and sides.
5 minStep 6: Chill for at least 4 hours so the cream soaks in a little and the cake firms up before slicing.
240 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 420 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbs
- 50 g
- Fat
- 21 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does bird-cherry cake take?
- About 240 minutes in total: 200 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 10 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of milk?
- Oat, soy or almond milk, same amount (use unsweetened for savoury dishes).
- What can I use instead of eggs?
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water per egg, left for 5 minutes (baking only; vegan).
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